She learned she had Type 2 diabetes several years ago, but didn't admit it until now - and she's marketing insulin
The media and blog world wolf packs are practically baying for blood over Paula Deen's sheepish recent announcement that she has Type 2 diabetes. But how much of this vitriol does she really deserve?
A lot of the poop being flung is basically just a half step from your all-purpose "fat shaming." Paula Deen is fat, and eats unhealthy foods, and therefore OF COURSE she has Type 2 diabetes. Why, she practically deserves it, with the way she eats, amirite folks?
That's silly, of course. No one DESERVES Type 2 diabetes. It's not God's punishment to the fat. A lot of people treat it like an inevitability, they seem to revel in it, as if it's a sign hung around a fat person's neck that says "I AM A FAT LITTLE PIGGY."
Is obesity and unhealthy eating a risk factor for Type 2 diabetes? Yes. In the same way that unprotected sex is a risk factor for HIV. And I submit that the attitudes of many people towards diabetes in the fat is surprisingly similar to the attitudes of many homophobes towards HIV in the gay community. A lot of people still believe that AIDS is God's punishment for being homosexual.
So let's take it down a notch, shall we?
A lot of other people - Anthony Bourdain among them - believe that Paula Deen should have revealed this fact when she learned about it several years ago. Instead, she continued to promote deep-fried, high-fat, high-sugar foods and an unhealthy lifestyle. According to this contingent, Deen was painting an unrealistic picture. People could look at her and say, "Well, if she's okay, and she eats all this stuff, I guess we're okay too."
The problem here is that it removes any ounce of credit from the American public. Is there anyone anywhere who believes that Paula Deen's recipes are anything other than unhealthy? Even the fattest tubs of lard (i.e. me) knew that her food was terrible for you.
It wasn't a secret she was trying to hide, the way the tobacco companies tried to pretend that cigarettes didn't cause cancer. Heck, she made this fact a central part of her schtick. She celebrated it.
And now we come to the final criticism, because Paula Deen is in a sense celebrating her diabetes, as well. She has reportedly struck a very lucrative deal with an insulin manufacturer, and will be pitching their products soon. One presumes she won't be toning down her recipes, either. The combo message being, "If you have diabetes, you can still eat all this junk - just buy the right brand of insulin and you'll be okay."
In many people's minds, it's bad enough that Deen's lifestyle gave her diabetes, but now she's cashing in on it, too? Talk about double dipping!